Die Hard Cyclists!

[summerdays]

Some people cycle for transport; you can't really expect people to take the day off work just because it's raining.

Me too.

For me if I only cycled when I felt like it, I'm lazy so I wouldn't bother half the time, whereas it's a routine ... the only commuting transport mode I give myself is cycle (apart from a very few occasions - but normally if it's that bad then the kids are off school and so I need to take the day off). That way I don't have to think shall I and just have to decide what to wear. I don't give myself the choice and I just get on with it. And usually from about 2 seconds after I get on the bike ... I'm thinking it's not as bad as I thought. I don't mind getting wet in warm summer days but otherwise I want to stay dry as I'm an individual who gets cold very quickly.

It's extremely rare that my son doesn't cycle to his primary school either - he does tend to walk in fresh snow ... just because he wants to play in it, otherwise it is bike in frost, old snow, wind, rain, sun etc. If he said he didn't want to then that would be fine, but again it's a habit that I'm trying to ingrain whilst he's young enough (missed my opportunity with the older two).

Studded tyres are great ... but you may as well get them now the first time I got them when the snow arrived ... I ordered ... they arrived as the snow melted and the post office started making deliveries again.

 

[al78]

Studded tyres are great ... but you may as well get them now the first time I got them when the snow arrived ... I ordered ... they arrived as the snow melted and the post office started making deliveries again.

I used studded tyres last winter and I still found it scary during the worst of the snow and ice during December.

If I had the money I would like to get a two wheel drive recumbent trike for those conditions but I don't even know if such a thing exists.

 

[corshamjim]

If I had the money I would like to get a two wheel drive recumbent trike for those conditions but I don't even know if such a thing exists.

The trouble with recumbents (I assume - I've never ridden one) is that you're that much lower down so get splashed by passing traffic that much more. On slushy winter roads that can't be at all pleasant. It also occurred to me when I was considering the same that there would be three winter tyres to buy rather than two as well.

You're right - studded tyres aren't a panacea - there are some conditions (deep slush on top of melting ice for example) when almost nothing will work. There were a couple of days last year when even with the studded tyres on I had to get off and walk for a few hundred yards.

I spent a few weeks last winter riding the folder which doesn't have studded tyres and surprised myself that I could ride on icy roads okay with ordinary tyres - it has to be the right kind of ice though!

 

[ufkacbln]

I used studded tyres last winter and I still found it scary during the worst of the snow and ice during December.

If I had the money I would like to get a two wheel drive recumbent trike for those conditions but I don't even know if such a thing exists.

I commuted on a Catrike Expedition throughout last winter, shod with snow tyres

No problems at all, funniest thing was overtaking some 4x4 on the final hill where I was happily moving and they weren't

A single wheel recumbent trike is fine if you play the gears appropriately

 

[Plax]

No, the epidermis is waterproof. Otherwise you could correct dehydration by sitting in a bath rather than drinking water.

The first sentence in this scientific paper states the following;
"The primary function of the epidermis is to produce the protective semi-permeable stratum corneum that permits terrestrial life"
http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v121/n2/pdf/5601872a.pdf

You could argue that skin is waterproof with a semi permeable membrane if that makes you feel better. If it was completely waterproof then how would we be able to sweat?

 

[Nebulous]

There is a huge difference in psychology, for me anyway, between leisure cycling and commuting. We had a whole month of snow in December and I regarded some of the cyclists I saw as pretty suicidal. Then in February I sold my car and started commuting. Suddenly it seems there is no choice in taking whatever the elements throw at me. At the same time my thinking has really changed. Instead of will I wont I, can I be bothered? it has become- what will I wear today?

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Cycling when wearing waterproofs is a real pain. The rain always manages to find its' way inside the waterproof clothing and then mixes with the sweat the extra layers on not so breathable clothing has generated. I used to carry waterproofs with me whenever there was a chance of rain but now only carry such gear is the temperature is likely to drop significantly . That said I do have an emergency poncho type thing in my first aid kit

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Isn't semi permeable to do with the size of molecules allowed to pass through the membrane? Trying to remember 0 level biology from 1986

The first sentence in this scientific paper states the following;
"The primary function of the epidermis is to produce the protective semi-permeable stratum corneum that permits terrestrial life"
http://www.nature.co...df/5601872a.pdf

You could argue that skin is waterproof with a semi permeable membrane if that makes you feel better. If it was completely waterproof then how would we be able to sweat?

 

[quassleberry]

I will be ordering studded tyres well in advance of the winter months. Thanks for the heads up on that one.

Having cycled in the really bad weather (and beating all the car drivers to work & they live nearer than me!) I found that all the drivers I encountered incredibly patient & courteous - the boy/girl racers were probably too scared to come out & play.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

Yes, I think rain is fine as long as I'm warm, though I was a bit worried about ice in the winter when cycling to work in -9C. The only problem is getting cycling clothes dry in winter before coming home.

I do find this useful though.

 

[Norm]

Cold is bad, warm is good, wet is irrelevant.

 

[robjh]

When I was commuting every day, over 5 to 8 mile distances, I never worried about rain, and snow in itself didn't stop me, but any hint of ice was a no-no after sliding on my shoulder around a busy roundabout one February morning thanks to the black ice.

The cold would stop me though - once temperatures get around freezing I get circulation problems in my finger tips that cause me extreme pain followed by numbness, and it's not good when you can't feel the brake levers. I've tried all sorts of biking and hiking gloves and combinations of gloves but never found a solution. When it felt like one of these mornings, I took the bus.

What I really needed, but never found, were a pair of cold-weather gloves that gave special protection to the fingertips without overheating the rest of the hand. I know it's a bit off-topic, but if anyone has found such things I'd be interested to know.